tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110147256376198572017-07-27T23:07:23.407-07:00Super Mom BlogSuper Mom Blog
An honest and raw account
of motherhoodSummer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-29023262818693326862016-09-24T18:23:00.001-07:002017-04-24T08:01:30.713-07:00Lost in the Woods!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hk5HmCxVneo/V-S-YnVbioI/AAAAAAAAd2Q/xIKwguw2V1kHxSujWlXbdX-scm18cP9uQCLcB/s1600/Henry%2BCowell%2Bsign.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hk5HmCxVneo/V-S-YnVbioI/AAAAAAAAd2Q/xIKwguw2V1kHxSujWlXbdX-scm18cP9uQCLcB/s320/Henry%2BCowell%2Bsign.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Rock Hole Trail</td></tr></tbody></table>One sunny day we drove to Henry Cowell State Park to meet up with some friends who were camping there. They told us to meet them at the river and to follow the Big Rock Hole trail to get there.<br /><br />We start the hike at 12:30 and I bring a stroller for Willa, 3 bottles of water and a few snacks. We park at the visitor center, find their campsite and then start on the trail which is right next to their site, easy peasy.<br /><br />We hike out of the shade of the forest and into the chaparral where the sun beats down raising the temp to about 80+ degrees. We make it to the observatory platform and ditch the stroller as it is too sandy to take it any further. &nbsp;The trail splits and we continue on &nbsp;Big Rock Hole trail for quite a while taking a few turns as there are a <i>ton</i> of side trails at this park.<br /><br />Its really hot and Scarlett &amp; Willa are wearing bathing suits and bad hiking shoes. &nbsp;I thought this would be a short little hike to the river so I let Willa wear her princess rain boots and Scarlett chose her new school shoes.<br /><br />We make it to the top of the grade, have a quick break and thankfully the trail starts to head down &nbsp;into the shade of the forest. Were in about 2 miles in at this point.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fwZac5xF4Hc/V-TCX4HGvkI/AAAAAAAAd2o/TOGSLLKlyVMl8mK2kGEIXsOCtOOiC55VwCLcB/s1600/Henry%2BCowell%2BWilla%2Bis%2Bhot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fwZac5xF4Hc/V-TCX4HGvkI/AAAAAAAAd2o/TOGSLLKlyVMl8mK2kGEIXsOCtOOiC55VwCLcB/s640/Henry%2BCowell%2BWilla%2Bis%2Bhot.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Willa taking a break in the shade</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>We continue down, down, down for a long time and in the back of my mind I am thinking how this means we will have to return by going up up, up... I am also surprised that our friends hiked this far to the river as they are not big hikers. Luckily my girls are used to me dragging them on hikes so they are hanging in there.<br /><br />Finally, we hear water and make it to this beautiful hidden river with no one to be seen. I figure we missed them and they must have left already. We take a break and play in the water for a few minutes and eat our snacks which consisted of watermelon taffy and nuts. &nbsp;I make the kids save the last half empty bottle of water and rush everyone along to get back before dark as its around 2:30 at this point.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-38OTlxc5CQ8/V-S_TcuYooI/AAAAAAAAd2c/PLEgdfgTHhwaJc9yXGwcOTRjJ-5cj57IwCLcB/s1600/Henry%2BCowellprivate%2Briver.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-38OTlxc5CQ8/V-S_TcuYooI/AAAAAAAAd2c/PLEgdfgTHhwaJc9yXGwcOTRjJ-5cj57IwCLcB/s640/Henry%2BCowellprivate%2Briver.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our very own beautiful private river!</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NogYyEy63os/V-S_7_rt2ZI/AAAAAAAAd2g/56llFjjLlpELo4CWg-j_lAlXLLPhF09JwCLcB/s1600/Henry%2BCowell%2BWilla%2Band%2Bstick.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NogYyEy63os/V-S_7_rt2ZI/AAAAAAAAd2g/56llFjjLlpELo4CWg-j_lAlXLLPhF09JwCLcB/s320/Henry%2BCowell%2BWilla%2Band%2Bstick.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Willa starting back up the hill</td></tr></tbody></table>We start the hike back up the steep hill and its tough going. I carry Willa for much of it and poor Scarlett drags behind, both girls hiking in their bathing suits because it was so hot. Ava has a head ache but isn't complaining which is a big help. &nbsp;I think she knew I was on the edge. By the time we reach the top we are out of water and pretty tired.<br /><br />We make it to a 4 way split and I&nbsp;<i>wish</i>&nbsp;I would have paid more attention on the way down. I quickly rule out 2 paths and am really not sure on the other two. I was pretty turned around.<br /><br />I see a girl walking our way but when I ask her for directions she doesn't speak much English or Spanish for that matter. Luckily I see someone else was walking up the trail and I am about to ask him, when I see he is shouting something while holding a sign on a stick which says "911 was a hoax" The girls just stare and he keeps rambling. At this point I quickly choose the trail in the <i>opposite</i> direction that the weird guy went and we head down the hill.<br /><br />About a mile later I have an idea where we are and it is nowhere close to where we need to be. You see, Henry Cowell has 2 different entrances and we came in through Graham Hill and we were now headed toward the highway 9 entrance which is where the main ranger station and store is located. My new plan is to get to the ranger station and get water as we are all out and extremely thirsty. At this point we spoke to a fellow hiker who confirmed we had about 1 more mile to go and was kind enough to give us his water. 1 more mile, that's nothing, but it seemed so far away.... I was so tired and shed a few tears at this point and possibly said a few cuss words as I couldn't imagine carrying Willa one more mile. <br /><br />Finally, we made it to the ranger station and the kids plopped down and drank water. I asked the woman in the store for a ride to the other entrance where our car was. She said no, the rangers can't do that, and so I called our friend Leanne who happens to live 5 minutes away. She dropped everything and came to our rescue, &nbsp;driving us back to our friends campsite and even walked with me to hike <i>back up</i> to the place where I left the stroller.<br /><br />I figured we hiked between 7 to 8 miles! Once we met up with our friends we realized they meant for us to go to Big Rock <i>River</i> which is different than the Big Rock <i>Trail,&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;Woops! &nbsp; They made up for it by cooking up some hot dogs for my ravenous kids and poured me a nice cold glass of Chardonnay. <br /><br />I'm now way more familiar with Henry Cowell trails and this was a cool bonding experience that they will remember forever, not to mention a great story. Now, whenever we go on a hike the kids say, <i>is it as long as the hike when we got lost in the woods?&nbsp;</i>Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-72746565764484525582016-09-21T11:20:00.000-07:002016-09-21T11:20:09.569-07:00Sisterly Wisdom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7IjwHAg3EO8/V-K1GeOUA_I/AAAAAAAAd1o/vEHZs3QepG8R7mf-iWRmhvXMSkNrpc4mgCLcB/s1600/Up%2BAbove%2BDown%2BBelow%2BCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7IjwHAg3EO8/V-K1GeOUA_I/AAAAAAAAd1o/vEHZs3QepG8R7mf-iWRmhvXMSkNrpc4mgCLcB/s320/Up%2BAbove%2BDown%2BBelow%2BCover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">This is one of my favorite picture books. It explores scenes above and below the ground and has great illustrations and tons of conversation points.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GDI7vKLVEJA/V-K1rLF_prI/AAAAAAAAd1s/-st1Wqeng08-UB38k2pu1Nckajyo8BXUQCLcB/s1600/Up%2BAbove%2BDown%2BBelow%2BCellar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="324" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GDI7vKLVEJA/V-K1rLF_prI/AAAAAAAAd1s/-st1Wqeng08-UB38k2pu1Nckajyo8BXUQCLcB/s640/Up%2BAbove%2BDown%2BBelow%2BCellar.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br />I was reading this page to Willa which says:&nbsp;<i><b>Early in the morning families buzz 'roud the house. while down in the cellar sleeps one tiny mouse.</b></i><br /><br />I asked Willa if she knew what a cellar is as we do not have these in California.<br /><br />She pointed at the mouse in the right corner and said <i>Yes its full of... </i>and&nbsp;then she paused. &nbsp; I said <i>yes they do often have mice in them&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;to which she replied &nbsp;<i>No, they are full of dead bodies...</i><br /><br />I asked her who told her that and she replied <i>Scalrett, </i>who will seems to believe to a fault.<br /><br />When I asked Scarlett about bodies in the cellar she started laughing. Who knows what else she has told Willa.Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-69821550176520366422016-03-11T21:15:00.001-08:002017-04-24T08:01:38.713-07:00Our Toilet is Glowing!Kevin ordered the craziest contraption, a toilet light! Did you even know such a thing exits?! This is no ordinary toilet light but a color changing one at that. It rotates between 4 colors and is motion activated[. At first I thought it was a weird unnecessary item but that was before I learned about the logistics involved when guys pee in the dark. <br /><br /><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pmDMZ1oBjnQ/VuOlWkhGqWI/AAAAAAAAcLc/D_nsuWSVpmoBbnNb7KQ2KMvgAHMA6CBaw/s1600/glow%2Btoilet%2B3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pmDMZ1oBjnQ/VuOlWkhGqWI/AAAAAAAAcLc/D_nsuWSVpmoBbnNb7KQ2KMvgAHMA6CBaw/s200/glow%2Btoilet%2B3.JPG" width="200" /></a>Because this house is full of girls (and Kevin) I never thought much about what is involved when a guy has to pee in the dark.<br /><br />When I go pee in the wee hours, I'm always half asleep so I sit down with my eyes closed and then shuffle back to bed. I now know that guys have to not <i>only</i> keep their eyes open, but also have to aim at the target. If you miss you get a mess and then there is the matter of trying to pee quietly, aiming for the edges of the bowl rather than the middle.&nbsp; Who knew there was an actual strategy to peeing in the dark?<br /><br />The 1st night the toilet light arrived, the kids went nuts. They literally had to come watch me pee so they could see my pee change colors as it streamed into the bowl.&nbsp; I had 2 little girls hovering over me while I sat on the toilet, talk about no privacy! Scarlett is still waiting for a nighttime poo so she can see what the light does to poop! Sadly for her we are all morning poopers...<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x6SltYUsdOk/VuOk-ImFgvI/AAAAAAAAcLY/0iDgj2ElAYEpFfGKLWiJnPOrU-xZ0sG3A/s1600/glow%2Btoilet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x6SltYUsdOk/VuOk-ImFgvI/AAAAAAAAcLY/0iDgj2ElAYEpFfGKLWiJnPOrU-xZ0sG3A/s320/glow%2Btoilet.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ava's BFF Ella also love the toilet light! </td></tr></tbody></table><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ojeCNkOWy-U/VuOk8hPwMBI/AAAAAAAAcLU/-7x1wNGnuRgWJdpCyRxzktmaX3YGcvPeQ/s1600/glow%2Btoilet%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ojeCNkOWy-U/VuOk8hPwMBI/AAAAAAAAcLU/-7x1wNGnuRgWJdpCyRxzktmaX3YGcvPeQ/s320/glow%2Btoilet%2B2.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /><br /><br />Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-8305988876275595962015-12-08T20:00:00.001-08:002015-12-08T20:03:32.459-08:00You Did What?!We were having a little Bar B Que when Ava asked me if she could dye her friend Tommy's hair with food coloring. I figured that was a safe non-permanent way to color hair so said "sure". You would be surprised how well it worked, Tommy had perfectly pink hair.&nbsp; Scarlett was adamant that she was next.<br /><br />Scarlett joined Ava in the bathroom and I peeked in to see how it was going and it was crazy! It looked as though a paintball gun went off, pink <i>everywhere</i>!&nbsp; I honestly do not understand how it got on the walls! I told her to quickly clean it up before her dad saw it.<br /><br />You see I am the one who lets the kids do things that <i>seem</i> like a good idea at the time and Kevin always errs on the side of caution. More often than not, he ends up being right.&nbsp; I did not want Kevin to come in and see the explosion of pink and say "you let the kids do <i>what</i> with food coloring?!"<br /><br />Ava's friend Ella showed up for the party and I ushered her into the bathroom, handed her a bottle of 409 and told her to<i> please</i> help Ava clean up the mess.&nbsp; The 3 girls got to cleaning and a few minutes later I came in to see the progress and was speechless. Let me set the scene...<br /><br />Scarlett is stark naked in the shower, dripping red,&nbsp; being sprayed down with 409. Thats right, <i>409 with duel action grease fighting power. </i>I asked Ava if she truly thought that it is OK to spray your sister with chemicals that we lock up under the sink?! She said "The bottle says it is an all purpose cleaner"&nbsp; I was so mad I told the girls to get out and I took over.<br /><br />As I am washing Scarlett with soap and water&nbsp; she tells me that they not only sprayed her body but her feet and under her armpits too! As if there was food coloring under her arm pits, <i>really</i>...<br /><br />20 minutes later I had a squeeky clean Scarlett and a semi clean bathroom.<br /><br />I learned 3 valuable lessons that day:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">1. Food coloring is an effective but extremely messy way to color your hair</div><div style="text-align: left;">2. Smart kids can do really stupid things</div><div style="text-align: left;">3. I hate to admit it but Kevin is most often right (<i>most, <b>not</b> always...</i>)&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mc4GeuwCp-s/VmenRJHja-I/AAAAAAAAbjo/aSu8ImhHVmo/s1600/409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mc4GeuwCp-s/VmenRJHja-I/AAAAAAAAbjo/aSu8ImhHVmo/s320/409.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></div>Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-63103063283927722812015-09-29T21:59:00.000-07:002015-09-29T21:59:10.643-07:00Who needs a door anyway...You know that sound of a slamming door followed by a screaming child? You get that icky feeling in your stomach while your mind starts thinking of the awful smashed finger stories you've heard in your life.&nbsp; You run to see if your kids still have all their fingers and breath a sigh of relief to find 10 intact digits. Well, we not only have doors but also a big sliding glass door which&nbsp; have strict rules <i>not to slam</i> and it inevitably happens anyway. The slider is like the big daddy of all finger munchers, especially after the annual maintenance when it slides nice and smooth.<br /><br />Whenever the girls slam their door, Kevin threatens to take the door off the hinges.&nbsp; Well, today he finally followed through with this threat. Scarlett slammed the door to keep Willa out of their room and it hit Willa in the face. So Kevin grabs his tools and takes the door off the hinges all the while <i>both</i> Scarlett and Willa are crying that they <i>need</i> their door. Ava just rolls her eyes and said "Who needs privacy anyway?"<br /><br />The girls finally calmed down and we tacked up a shower curtain we had which ended up looking super cool! The girls are all excited about their new room decor and the lack of door somehow makes the room look bigger which is a plus as it is similar to an overcrowded dorm room. The best part is&nbsp; that I can rest assure that the girls will be able to keep all their fingers!<br /><br /><br />Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-71481628263993326562014-03-04T17:44:00.000-08:002014-03-04T17:44:09.927-08:00Neen!!!!I love breastfeeding! I have breastfed all&nbsp; 3 of my children. I nursed Ava until she was 2. I only nursed Scarlett until she was one, she was too busy to make time for the tit. Willa is still going strong and defiantly a major booby lover, just like her dad.<br /><br />I love nursing for so many reasons:<br /><br />1. It makes me sit my busy butt down and relax. For those of you who know me, this is virtually impossible. Or if I get an important work call, I pop it in the babes mouth and ahhh complete silence.<br /><br />2. Its super cozy and special to look down in my babies eyes as they suckle away, I love these moments, not much can beat this.<br /><br />3. Its a great way to calm a crying baby, instant pacifier!<br /><br />4. A fail proof way to get my babies to fall asleep. (I know eventually this will bite me in the butt...)<br /><br />5. Oh and its very healthy too, that's just a big bonus to all the other good stuff.<br /><br />Willa will be 2 in April and my friends politely ask me how long I will nurse her, to&nbsp;which I often reply "Until she is 10"&nbsp; You see Willa is getting big and she speaks <em>really </em>well. She says <em>Momma, I want neen. Pleaseeeeee </em>When I say no, she bargains <em>Just a little bit, pleaseeeee momma, its special and its so sweet</em>&nbsp; At that point I almost always give in.<br /><br />Sometimes&nbsp; its not so special. For example, in the middle of the night&nbsp; when she is not so polite and almost every hour repeatedly yells<em> I want neen!!!</em> When I don't give it to her she thrashes and kicks.<em> </em>I know I have created a mini titty loving monster. <br /><br />I have truly evolved from a controlling, militant mother that regulated nursing to bedtime to throwing the rules out the door and popping it out whenever I hear the word neen. I know Willa is my last baby so I have let so many rules slide. &nbsp;I am amazed how much I have changed from baby #1&nbsp;to baby #3.<br /><br />So how long will I nurse? I'm not sure but I do dread the day when I decide my tatas are closed for business. I don't think Willa will be in favor of this shutdown. Until this day I plan to enjoy every second of it!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jK5pB-TnfRE/UxZv001g8SI/AAAAAAAAKYU/31tngUeXZm0/s1600/breastfeeding+60s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jK5pB-TnfRE/UxZv001g8SI/AAAAAAAAKYU/31tngUeXZm0/s1600/breastfeeding+60s.jpg" height="273" width="320" /></a></div>Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-11325993428643363662014-01-31T18:18:00.002-08:002014-01-31T18:18:26.634-08:00Youth is Wasted on the YoungI have no regrets (well maybe a couple) but for the most part I don't regret any part of my life. However, if I could go back in time I would do <em>a lot</em> differently.<br /><br />1. I would have a lot more sex (protected of course). I was such a good girl in high school and college that I missed out on a lot of that raging hormone sex. Don't get me wrong, I had a boyfriend all through high school so did not miss out completely but I wish I would have been a bit more promiscuous when I was in college. I went to UCSC for goodness sake! If I could do it again I would experiment more with girls, threesomes, foursomes, toys, places, you name it, if I could get a do-over I would try it at all&nbsp;least once. <br /><br />2. On a similar note, I would have had <em>way</em> more sex with my husband before having 3 kids.&nbsp;&nbsp; After baby number #1 it was pretty easy to find time. Even after baby #2 it was somewhat possible. Once baby #3 came along its&nbsp;next to impossible to find time and more so, a place where there&nbsp;are no kids.&nbsp; Having 3 kids in a small 2 bedroom only leaves the backyard so we really have to <em>want</em> it to venture into the great outdoors!<br /><br />3. I would go to college, get a degree in science and then a nursing degree so I could get a job right out of college. Instead I got a <em>useless</em> degree in environmental studies and became a professional student <em>almost</em> getting my teaching credential, nursing pre-recs, computer classes, and Spanish. Now I'm 36 and on a&nbsp;5 year long waiting list to get into nursing school (2.5 years in). You do the math, I will be at least&nbsp;40 by the time I can even <em>apply</em> for a nursing job. Really? It took me all those years to figure this out, uggh! After all this schooling I finally have a cool job that does not require&nbsp;ANY of that (except Spanish) <br /><br />4. I would save money. I used to have way more money and very little expenses and I would blow it&nbsp;by going out to the bar, to dinner, buying crap I did not need.&nbsp; I wish I would have just saved a little bit every month so now I would be able to buy a house instead of living month to month in a itty bitty house. <br /><br />5. I would not drink copious amounts of tequila, ever. But that's a story for another blog.<br /><br />6. I would have spent <em>way</em> more time in Costa Rica learning Spanish, or just studied Spanish more in college. Maybe do one of those language immersion programs, that would have been amazing!<br /><br />7. I would have&nbsp;stranded that looser drunk boyfriend of mine in Grass Valley when he cheated on me on Christmas eve rather than taking him back to Santa Cruz, &nbsp;I promise one day&nbsp;I will tell this story too, its a good one! <br /><br />8. I would have stuck with guitar.<br /><br />I could go on and on... The saying "Youth is Wasted on the Young" is <em>so</em> true. Maybe I can impart some of my life experience on my girls so they make a few better choices than I did. But I'm not sure I want to encourage them to be promiscuous, so I will keep that one to myself.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RMrF3fzM6IU/UuxYzooaysI/AAAAAAAAJAo/qShYY5wVJbk/s1600/then+vs+now.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RMrF3fzM6IU/UuxYzooaysI/AAAAAAAAJAo/qShYY5wVJbk/s1600/then+vs+now.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-17103325508711661372014-01-28T19:21:00.000-08:002014-01-28T19:21:48.675-08:00Santa Gives Candy at Church?I have to admit that I have not done the best job teaching my children about religion. I was raised as a Jewish girl who celebrated Christmas, we were not very religious. Sadly I have never been to church, ever.<br /><br />This past Sunday I was driving the girls to the store and we passed a fancy&nbsp;family walking to church. I jokingly said "guys, do you want to go to church?" Ava said "no thanks, its boring" Scarlett said "What's church?" To which I replied "Church is a place where people go to talk about God and pray"&nbsp; Scarlett said she wanted to go and it sounded like fun. Ava said "Scarlett no, its <em>not</em> fun its <em>boring</em>." Not like she would know because she has never been.<br /><br />Scarlett said "Will there be candy? Will Santa be there?"&nbsp; I was a bit confused by her question but told her that Santa will not be at church and they do not&nbsp;give out candy.&nbsp;&nbsp;Scarlett&nbsp;said "But Louisa (pronounced as Oooisa) took me one time and Santa was there and we got candy."<br /><br />I was thoroughly confused and then realized Louisa did take Scarlett to the Christmas <em>parade</em> where Santa did make an appearance and gave out candy.&nbsp; Ava and I then explained to Scarlett that to pray is not the same as a parade.&nbsp; She said "Darn, I wanted to go to the parade..."Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-44789155870420625222014-01-23T19:15:00.000-08:002014-01-23T19:15:54.486-08:00Girls and Their Gines...As a mother of 3 girls, there is a lot of talk about vaginas. Some days its hairy ones, stinky ones, bald badgers, leaky ones,&nbsp;owie ones, pokey ones, you name it, it has been discussed here at the Carney house. <br /><br />I swear,&nbsp;every day there&nbsp;is something I have to deal with that involves vagina care. Weather its applying diaper cream or assessing flaming owie lips on my 5 year old from her <em>limited</em> wiping skills, its a daily topic in my home. <br /><br />Willa loves to climb under the bathroom sink and abscond with my tampons. It doesn't help that Kevin bought me the super cool fancy ones that come with neon pink, blue, and green wrappers.&nbsp; She loves to take them apart. Yesterday, out of the blue,&nbsp;Scarlett said "Mommy, can I take your tampon out?" To which I replied "NO WAY, and I'm not even on my period!"<br /><br />Willa loves to pull down my undies and poke it and say "Gina!"&nbsp;or "Spider!" depending on the current landscape. She too has seen the book that has a spider whose&nbsp; mandibles look <em>just</em> like a hairy yonie as mentioned in an&nbsp;old blog called <a href="http://www.supermomblog.com/2010/12/spider-has-vagina.html">Spider Has a Vagina</a>&nbsp;Its true this spiders mouth can easily be confused for a hairy gine. Whenever&nbsp;I neglect&nbsp; my maintenance down there Willa reminds me that&nbsp;the forest needs a mowing by calling it a Spider, thanks Willa. <br /><br />And now that I'm on the topic, Scarlett coined the term "Poop Octopus" I dare you to guess what this refers to... Ill just tell ya. You know those awful messy diapers where the poop is literally up the puss? Well one day I yelled "Help get me a bag, its crazy, poop up the puss!" Scarlett ran in the room with a bag yelling "POOP OCTYPUS!!" The term stuck...<br /><br />My poor husband...Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-17496227573150699242013-08-01T16:47:00.003-07:002013-08-01T16:47:20.675-07:00Hike gone BADI planned a wonderful outing for the day. Ava had a new friend over and I was determined to get out of the house and do something fun. I took my brood and dog to Delaveaga park which has hiking trails and a golf course. I was excited to do something different and was ready for a new adventure. Taking all my kids and dog <i>anywhere</i> is in adventure in itself.<br /><br />Our journey started on the wrong foot as the main road was closed, so I figured we would enter through the other side of the park. We found a parking spot, got out the double stroller, snacks, water, kids, dog and went on our way. We had a map and <i>even</i> checked in with a woman at the help kiosk who showed us how to get to the nature trail.<br /><br />We were on the trail for about 3 minutes when Ava screamed "Owe!!" She pulled up her shirt and grabbed what I thought was a spider and then realized it was a wasp. She threw the smashed wasp and began to scream <i>way</i> too loud. As I was trying to calm her down I heard Scarlett scream and start crying. I then realized what was happening as I looked up and saw all these little insects flying swarming us. Angelina yelled its a wasp nest and Ava began screaming <i>even louder</i> followed by Scarlett's cries to which I yelled "RUN!!"<br /><br />Angelina started to run back the way we came and I yelled "not that way" and she did an about face and ran followed by Ava, Scarlett and Daisy. I attempted to run the jogger on the skinny root infested trail and poor Willa was getting bounced around like a rag doll. My girls were crying and after 40 yards began to walk when I yelled "Keep going their chasing us!" The Wasps were following us, I felt them banging into me. The girls kept running and I did my best to follow with the wide double jogger on the teeny hiking path. &nbsp;The path was so bumpy and full of roots I had to go backwards for some of it because I couldn't manage to push it over the rough path and there was a big drop to my right. &nbsp;Somehow Daisy got off her leash and took off at a full sprint.<br /><br />Willa was fussing as the jogger was bouncing crazily down the trail and Scarlett was crying and wanted to get into the jogger but I could barely push it at my running pace so I began to walk. At this moment Willa lets out a big owie scream. I tell the girls to keep running and stop the jogger and pull Willa's jacket off. I see the broken wasp stuck in her neck and pull out the stinger and she cries uncontrollably. Sadly I cant stop to comfort her but take off running after the rest of the kids as she frantically cries and tries to pull herself out of her harness.<br /><br />After a few minutes of running we start to walk with the goal of getting <i>off</i> this trail and finally find a slope we can clamber up that drops us off at the green on the golf course. We immediately meet a golfer who warns us to watch our for balls, the green is not safe and we should <i>not</i> be walking there. I tell our story and he backs off and points us in the direction of the road. We head off at a run through the green, happy to face a rogue golf ball over a wasp nest. &nbsp;About 4 irritated golfers later, we make it off the green to the road and finally return to the car.<br /><br />Scarlett had 3 stings! Ava and Willa each had 1 and luckily Angelina and I lucked out, no stings. Not sure how this stuff happens but this was definitely a nature hike gone wrong. We high tailed it out of there and went and got ice cream.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0cI2h_uUqMQ/Ufn1H3naoYI/AAAAAAAAAd4/NsC0NXQCSdQ/s1600/wasp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0cI2h_uUqMQ/Ufn1H3naoYI/AAAAAAAAAd4/NsC0NXQCSdQ/s400/wasp.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-51662365488452934492013-06-10T21:28:00.000-07:002013-06-10T21:28:15.521-07:002 Minute Clusterfuck4:10 pm: &nbsp;We are in the back yard and it is a beautiful day. The sun is shining, and Scarlett is sitting in my lap eating macaroni and cheese. Daisy is playing with a doggy toy. We are watching cute naked Willa playing in the water. It is one of those<i> perfect</i> moments.<br /><br />4:11 pm: Willa is toddling toward the stairs and does the cutest pee. If you have never seen a naked baby pee, it's like a moment of discovery. Willa looks down and seems to say "Wow! look what I can do!" &nbsp;Scarlett and I laugh, there is nothing cuter than naked babies taking a pee break. Then it happens! She does a big long poo! I grab Daisy because she cant resist poo. I tell Scarlett to run and get some baby wipes. As Willa is running into the house with poopy on her butt, I plead from across the yard for her to stop. All the while this long poo is hanging out of her butt swinging around.<br /><br />Willa turns and books it up the stairs and drops the dooky on the deck. I chase after her with the dog in my arms, and see another chunk falling on the carpet as she runs inside the house. I put the dog in the kitchen which has a gate to keep her away from the ewey poo and wisk up Willa as she tried to sit her poopy booty on the carpet.<br /><br />4:12 pm: All the while, Scalrett comes flying over the <i>other</i> baby gate with baby wipes in hand and the macaroni &amp; cheese flies everywhere. I grab the wipes and clean the kaka off Willa's butt and grab the poo off the floor. I take a breath and notice Kevin left the <i>other</i> baby gate in the kitchen wide open. &nbsp;This gate keeps the cat food safe. Shoot, I just locked Daisy <i>in</i> the Kitchen! &nbsp;Daisy is happily chomping away on Fancy Feast. I jump over, grab the dog, too late the cat food is gone which means I get to clean up more runny poo later.<br /><br />4:13 pm: Kevin walks in the house as I have a naked baby on my hip, mac &amp; cheese all over the floor, poopy baby wipes and a dog with cat food breath.<br /><br />Amazing how much can happen in 2 minutes!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-64rygJ-bBTY/UbZn7U9vPpI/AAAAAAAAAdg/5ccObaCqnLk/s1600/willapoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-64rygJ-bBTY/UbZn7U9vPpI/AAAAAAAAAdg/5ccObaCqnLk/s320/willapoo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-72663240626146510892013-05-27T17:09:00.000-07:002013-05-27T17:09:05.346-07:00Nanny 911Back in the day when we used to have 1 and 2 kids, we would watch Nanny 911 and marvel at parents inabilities to raise well behaved, respectful children. I viewed parenting as black and white. When there is an unacceptable behavior, provide a consequence and <i>always</i> follow through. Easy as pie!<br /><br />Fast forward to life with 3 kids and I am officially Nanny 911 material. On a typical day in my home you will find Willa our 1 year old sitting <i>on</i> the table, coloring on herself, or eating erasers off pencils. &nbsp; She never has matching socks or unstained clothes, often avocado in her hair. Her favorite thing to do is grab the dog treats and share them with the dog, gross! You may think, put that shit up! She happens to be an <i>excellent</i> climber.<br /><br />I am guilty of holding Willa whenever she wants, which is <i>all</i> the time. I have had people say "cant you put her down?" &nbsp;No I cant, she will cry, heavens forbid.<br /><br />When the kids are playing in the baby pool I have been known to bring out a bottle of soap and call it bath time. This is ingenious, 3 kids clean at the <i>same</i> time! When they complain about the dirt and grass floating in the pool, I say "deal with it."<br /><br />Scarlett has a few daily freak-out &nbsp;fits, yelling screaming things like "I know everything" or "I love daddy more than you" Back in the olden days I would have addressed each fit appropriately, warnings, followed by &nbsp;a consequence, but I'm just too tired and have too much to do. Positive parenting is for parents who are way cooler and more rested than I am. &nbsp;I cant believe how much I let her get away with, she walks all over me. I have been guilty of warning "If you do that, no TV for the rest of the day" &nbsp; 20 minutes later she has turned on &nbsp;the TV and is parked on the couch. &nbsp;I figure, at least she is quiet.<br /><br />I often will be out and about with the kids and notice no one but me is wearing shoes and wonder, did anyone brush their teeth today? &nbsp;Then I notice the rats nest in Scarlett's hair and cant remember the last time I untangled those unruly curls.<br /><br />Ava is the only one that actually does what she is supposed to you, we did all our awesome parenting on her and then ran out of juice as the years went by. &nbsp;Sometimes I look at my life and just have to laugh at the craziness of it all. &nbsp;I wonder how in the hell did my organized, tight ship turn into a crazy episode of Nanny 911?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--9EAcCFVfKc/UaP04a6NE4I/AAAAAAAAAcw/KcaStaGW0c4/s1600/willa+on+table.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--9EAcCFVfKc/UaP04a6NE4I/AAAAAAAAAcw/KcaStaGW0c4/s400/willa+on+table.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FACX0cM93d0/UaP05xzd0aI/AAAAAAAAAc4/Dn1J9iY_nS4/s1600/ava+daisy+at+table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FACX0cM93d0/UaP05xzd0aI/AAAAAAAAAc4/Dn1J9iY_nS4/s400/ava+daisy+at+table.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RlWvF0YjLYk/UaP07P14YVI/AAAAAAAAAdA/7UT7Ajdstkc/s1600/scar+and+willa+kitchen+floor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RlWvF0YjLYk/UaP07P14YVI/AAAAAAAAAdA/7UT7Ajdstkc/s400/scar+and+willa+kitchen+floor.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-37415183686177347682013-03-05T20:40:00.001-08:002013-03-05T20:40:35.364-08:00Hiding in the darkScarlett is a what many would call a "spirited" child full of piss and vinegar. She makes an art of having a fit and has truly perfected it.<br /><br />You never know what will set her off or more like what wont set her off. &nbsp;There is no avoiding it, she is like Old Faithful, she cant help but erupt at regular intervals.<br /><br />I have developed many coping mechanisms to deal with this. My old standby is just telling saying goodnight and heading to bed to let Kevin deal with it. Sometimes I hide in the backyard. Tonight I hid in the corner of the dark kitchen and it worked!<br /><br />Oh Shit here she comes I gotta run and hide!Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-24421641682807566052013-01-29T20:58:00.000-08:002013-01-29T20:58:29.692-08:004th child = Crazy MammaAt the end of the day I look at my family and love them. I kiss my sleeping children in their beds and feel so lucky. I think about a 4th child and it sounds like a great idea. I feel sad when I think I will never have another baby.<br /><br />In the morning I am exhausted from nursing all night. I rush to get everyone to school, breakfast, pack lunches, break up fights, try to squeeze in my work and realize this is such a ridiculous notion.<br /><br />&nbsp;I'm&nbsp;sure once my husband reads this he will punch himself in the balls...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BwEsWANX8B0/UQim0bTgDhI/AAAAAAAAAb4/kXwl3nnmYbU/s1600/IMG_3153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BwEsWANX8B0/UQim0bTgDhI/AAAAAAAAAb4/kXwl3nnmYbU/s320/IMG_3153.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-91755264766145590642012-09-20T18:29:00.000-07:002012-09-20T18:31:40.516-07:00Raccoons will eat your face off!Scarlett mostly sleeps through the night but every blue moon she wakes up and gets freaky. Last night she woke up angry and yelling. I tried to calm her down which just made her get louder. She was crying, kicking and thrashing in her bed.<br /><br />I then realize the&nbsp;raccoons&nbsp;are in the house so I go shoo them out. They come in through the cat door and reek&nbsp;havoc&nbsp;in the kitchen. I return and Scarlett is still wailing away and I tell her to be quiet or they will come in her room. My scare tactic backfired causing her to cry even louder. She thought I was bluffing. What did I do? I went and took a picture of the&nbsp;raccoon, showed it to her and said "If you&nbsp;don't&nbsp;stop crying the&nbsp;raccoons&nbsp;will come and eat your face off." &nbsp;I know, totally below the belt.<br /><br />She looked real sad and said "Mommy I want to tell you&nbsp;something, I heard a witch in the bathroom saying "HaHaHaHa" Then I felt really bad. I explained to her its not a witch but our annoying neighbor across the street who has a super loud, drunk ass laugh. He actually sounds <i>allot</i> like a witch. She thought that was funny and calmed down.<br /><br />I told her I made it up and the&nbsp;raccoons&nbsp;only eat cat food and stuff in the kitchen, they wont come in her room. &nbsp;Boy did I feel like a meany!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VMQYH6HJm48/UFuGR8nhhVI/AAAAAAAAAas/uUxhDaxSlfc/s1600/EmmaandScar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VMQYH6HJm48/UFuGR8nhhVI/AAAAAAAAAas/uUxhDaxSlfc/s400/EmmaandScar.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-30870618510807427522012-07-06T17:30:00.002-07:002017-04-24T07:45:43.105-07:00Carney SlangI have been known to make up my own words<br /><br />Tubby - bath<br /><br />Clapper Grabbers - tongs (Ava made this one up)<br /><br />Gobey lobeys - gross stuff<br /><br /><br />Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-74730722658633781402012-06-15T17:28:00.000-07:002012-06-15T17:28:48.925-07:00Gina Strawberry<br />We were eating strawberries and Scarlett found one that was shaped like a vagina. She saved her special "gina" berry and Ava ate it. Scalett began to cry hysterically that Ava ate her vagina! You would think someone ate all her candy by the way she carried on and on about her special vagina strawberry.<br /><br />&nbsp;I was able to find one that looked like a butt to replace the gina and she calmed down.<br /><br />Scarlett then picked up a blackberry and proudly showed me how the top end looks like a butt hole. She then began searching the blackberries to show me all the little butt holes.<br /><br /><br />Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-10940517084790757162012-06-08T21:51:00.002-07:002017-04-24T07:45:43.064-07:00I am a CowI was not sure how nursing would go after getting my new tatas, but they still work! Mostly...<br /><br />I am sitting here writing this blog entry as I nurse Willa on my left and pump on my right. You may wonder how I do this. I cut a hole in a sports bra so I can put the pumper through, hands free! &nbsp;Picture a dairy cow with the little pumpers attached to her udders.<br /><br />Normally I would be extatic to have all this sucking and tugging going on, but my poor tatas have had enough for a while.<br /><br />You see, much of my day revolves around nursing, pumping, massaging, exfoliating, and taking a&nbsp;handful&nbsp;of&nbsp;supplements&nbsp;to ensure I make enough milk for sweet Willa.<br /><br />When Ava was 8 months old, my right dried up. When Scarlett was 4 months, it happened again. Now Willa is almost 2 months and I am doing everything in my power to keep making milk. I take 9 pills of fenugreek, &nbsp;combined with 4 pills of Domperidone, and a ton of water. <br /><br />My day begins and ends with nursing and pumping. Once again my life revolves around my boobs but this time in a completely&nbsp;different&nbsp;way. I feel so in touch with my inner cow and can truly relate to my bovine&nbsp;cousin, moooooo...<br />Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-22425704974790762512012-05-14T22:22:00.001-07:002012-05-14T22:22:47.316-07:00Scarlett Amazes Me...I was laying in bed in the early morning hour and I heard Scarlett wandering around the house. I pretended to be asleep hoping she would just crawl into bed and not wake us up. &nbsp;She never did and I fell back asleep.<br /><br />When Kevin got up a bit later I asked him if Scarlett was awake. He found her sleeping soundly in her bed. I figured I dreamed it.<br /><br />When Scarlett awoke she came and told me she found a dead rat in her bed and she cleaned it up. I asked her to show me where she put it. I honestly thought she was making up a story or had a weird dream. She took me to the hamper and showed me a yucky hairball&nbsp;&nbsp;wrapped in a washcloth. She said it was on her bed so she cleaned it up.<br /><br />My little 3 year old, woke up, got a washcloth, cleaned up a gross cat puke and then went back to bed. I was shocked!<br /><br />She is the most stubborn "do it myself" kind of girl, which at times drives me nuts. She is also so capable and never ceases to amaze me with her clever wit and determination.Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-12746259134192178902012-04-20T17:18:00.001-07:002012-04-20T17:18:31.777-07:00Willa Dawn's Birth StoryI checked in at Sutter Maternity at 7:30am on April 2 to be induced. It was surreal to arrive at a scheduled time to&nbsp;have&nbsp;a baby as both my girls came when they were ready. I chose to induce one day after my due date because I was <i>over</i> being pregnant and I felt all my body needed was a little push.<br /><br />Kevin went to drop Scarlett off at school and would wait at home with Ava until I called him to come to the hospital. These things can take all day so I figured no rush.<br /><br />At 8:30am, my midwife came and said "Are you sure you want me to break your water?" To which I replied "Absolutely". She briefed me on the possible complications that can&nbsp;arise&nbsp;from inducing a labor, such as the need for pitocin if contractions dont start on their own. I was ready to get this adventure started and Leora broke my water and then gave me this awesome diaper to wear. I was&nbsp;dilated&nbsp;to 3cm which I had been for the last 2 weeks. I spent the next 10 minutes taking pictures of the coolest&nbsp;birthing&nbsp;center ever.<br /><br />My best friend Louisa arrived and we hung out waiting for&nbsp;something&nbsp;to happen. My contractions became more frequent but not&nbsp;painful. &nbsp;Around 10:00am I texted Kevin and told him to come on down as things were getting going. My contractions were starting to feel uncomfortable and I sat on a yoga ball and breathed through them.<br /><br />Kevin and Ava arrived at 10:10am followed shortly after by Serena, my other best friend. Both Louisa and Serena were at Scarlett's birth. At 10:30am Maggie, my nurse checked my cervix and I was&nbsp;dilated&nbsp;to 6 cm. This is when it started to really hurt and I could not get off the bed. She called my midwife to come on over and get this party started. Leora arrive&nbsp;shortly&nbsp;after and checked me again and I was 8 to 9cm.<br /><br />Ava says I was making cute sounds through my contractions. I remember it hurting <i>so</i> bad. I had forgotten how much labor hurts. I started to feel like I had to poo and said "I think &nbsp;have to poo a little, or a lot" and then&nbsp;couldn't&nbsp;help but push. They all said no, thats not poo, thats &nbsp;your baby! You see I never had the urge to push before as my first 2 babies were posterior, faced up. Babies are MUCH harder to push out when they come out like that and I pushed for 2.5 hours with Ava and 1.5 hours with Scarlett.<br /><br />I was on my back, legs held back by Louisa&nbsp;and&nbsp;the nurse and they told me to go for it and push,&nbsp;which&nbsp;I did. And go figure this little girl came out in 3 pushes,&nbsp;hallelujah&nbsp;she was face down! She came out screaming, with one eye open. They put her on my tummy where she continued to wail. &nbsp;Ava cut the cord like a professional cord cutter. The time was 11:12am, less than 3 hours after my water was broken, less than one hour of intense labor. I guess as far as labors go, 3rd times a charm!<br /><br />She continued to cry, more like <i>scream</i> for an hour. It was an <i>owie</i> kind of cry, not the typical newborn cry. The nurse had a pediatrician come to make sure she was ok, and she&nbsp;couldn't&nbsp;find anything wrong with her. After a couple hours of intense crying she finally fell asleep. I was concerned&nbsp;something&nbsp;was hurting her but when she woke up later that day, she was not screaming anymore. I guess being born can be pretty traumatic...<br /><br />We were thinking of naming her Juliette, but after seeing her and having her come into this world like a whirlwind we decided to name her Willa. Kevin picked her name which is fair because I got to name the first two. Willa is the female version of William, Kevin's fathers name who is one of the&nbsp;nicest&nbsp;people in the entire world, very deserving of a namesake. Second, a williwaw is a type of windstorm on the ocean and she arrived fast and furious like a wild wind.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ve11noHHbMI/T5H0_h7nwTI/AAAAAAAAARA/e2d7FXyW8pk/s1600/IMG_2290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ve11noHHbMI/T5H0_h7nwTI/AAAAAAAAARA/e2d7FXyW8pk/s320/IMG_2290.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Sexy Diaper - 9AM</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CoivG2qKjoA/T5H00NwaNhI/AAAAAAAAAQw/WNdnPXUTyTI/s1600/IMG_2296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CoivG2qKjoA/T5H00NwaNhI/AAAAAAAAAQw/WNdnPXUTyTI/s320/IMG_2296.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screaming Willa - 11:12am</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5V1kL0YqT4U/T5H1eyMmmCI/AAAAAAAAARQ/1ahl5rDr6RQ/s1600/IMG_2393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5V1kL0YqT4U/T5H1eyMmmCI/AAAAAAAAARQ/1ahl5rDr6RQ/s320/IMG_2393.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma is jealous of Willa</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X3HmKGpyFmE/T5H2_6td8II/AAAAAAAAARo/HgzkPM-6ji4/s1600/IMG_2351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X3HmKGpyFmE/T5H2_6td8II/AAAAAAAAARo/HgzkPM-6ji4/s320/IMG_2351.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Daddy, Ava, &amp; Willa</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bmvoF7PvD6o/T5H2SiH7g3I/AAAAAAAAARY/QBIId2SKaPc/s1600/IMG_2325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bmvoF7PvD6o/T5H2SiH7g3I/AAAAAAAAARY/QBIId2SKaPc/s320/IMG_2325.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scarlett &amp; Willa</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5-8N_Dttps4/T5H3VkieG2I/AAAAAAAAAR4/xYIc70qxuPk/s1600/IMG_2378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5-8N_Dttps4/T5H3VkieG2I/AAAAAAAAAR4/xYIc70qxuPk/s320/IMG_2378.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gQdoJd4IdYg/T5H3DCiSjlI/AAAAAAAAARw/lPXC5C_eVew/s1600/IMG_2413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gQdoJd4IdYg/T5H3DCiSjlI/AAAAAAAAARw/lPXC5C_eVew/s320/IMG_2413.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br />Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-28132155420408126742012-03-29T13:28:00.000-07:002012-03-29T13:28:11.116-07:0039 weeks 4 days and Over it....I am extremely pregnant and <i>so</i> over it. This baby feels like it will never come out. I know I am being impatient and I should relish these days with only 2 kids, but I dont<i> do</i> patient.<br /><br />I cant go from sitting to standing without a ton of effort. I cant breathe, have constant heartburn, and puffy swollen feet. Sleeping is a bitch. I lay in bed waiting for a reasonable hour to get up.<br /><br />The baby is so low, and I am 3cm&nbsp;dilated&nbsp;so I can reach in and feel her head (she has no hair like baby Scarlett). I know it sounds weird but all you full term mammas&nbsp;should&nbsp;try it, its super cool! Tip - do it in the shower in a squat.<br /><br />I dont have much else to say other than "Come out Baby!!!!!"<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v30J3SjSpV0/T3TDvDjyHaI/AAAAAAAAAQo/AJRWzYozX3k/s1600/39+weeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v30J3SjSpV0/T3TDvDjyHaI/AAAAAAAAAQo/AJRWzYozX3k/s320/39+weeks.jpg" width="235" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">39+ Weeks Pregnant</td></tr></tbody></table>Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-88308604648769510132012-03-18T20:55:00.000-07:002012-03-18T20:55:13.465-07:00Notes From the Womb - 38 weeksOnly 2 more weeks to the supposed due date, April 1st!!!! I cant believe we are&nbsp;already&nbsp;at this point, ready to pop like a ripe juicy peach. <br /><br />I learned at my last Dr appointment that I am 3cm&nbsp;dilated, 70% effaced, and -1 station. For those of you who have no idea what this means, it means when I do go into labor to get my ass to the hospital QUICK, this baby is gonna come fast.<br /><br />I've&nbsp;gained 23 lbs so far and my tummy is growing by the day. I know it may seem impossible but my tatas keep getting bigger and bigger. I am&nbsp;frightened&nbsp;for when my milk comes in. This may forever wreck my awesome <a href="http://www.supermomblog.com/2011/01/my-new-tatas.html">plastic surgeons beautiful work</a>...&nbsp;Oh well gotta embrace the benefits of motherhood.<br /><br />I am slowing down but still&nbsp;working&nbsp;out and doing boot camp, although it is <i>way</i> harder these days. I usually pee a bit when I do jumping jacks. The highlight of my day is when I get to poo, or I should say<i>&nbsp;IF</i>&nbsp;I get to poo.&nbsp;I'm&nbsp;guessing this baby is invading my colon and seriously affecting this daily ritual.<br /><br />I was hoping she would be born yesterday on St Patricks day because Kevin said we could name her Ireland,&nbsp;which&nbsp;is my first choice, but not&nbsp;Kevin's. Yes, we still have not decided on a name but have a bunch we each like but the other one&nbsp;doesn't. (Willa, Cathryn, Violet, Cat, Juliette, Ruby) I am hoping when we see her one of these names will stick.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WHpPaj1lAis/T2ZhMuhxAXI/AAAAAAAAAQc/9_Q1JG5VlpA/s1600/P1040725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WHpPaj1lAis/T2ZhMuhxAXI/AAAAAAAAAQc/9_Q1JG5VlpA/s320/P1040725.JPG" width="197" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">38 Weeks Pregnant</td></tr></tbody></table>Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-30689515313339799222012-02-19T20:09:00.000-08:002012-02-19T20:09:39.649-08:00Brushing Teeth is Like Pulling TeethBrushing teeth in my house has turned into a very time&nbsp;consuming&nbsp;activity...&nbsp;<div><br /></div><div><b>Ava</b> - When she was little, she let me do it, now she does it, the end...<i> 3 minutes</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Scarlett</b> - She picks her toothbrush, chooses 3 different kinds of toothpaste, then decides not to use it because she wants to use Ava's. Ava says no way, so she settles on her pink Hello Kitty. But first, she needs to put her&nbsp;barrettes&nbsp;in her hair. Then she has to poo, but I thought she only had on 5 pairs of&nbsp;underwear&nbsp;which I stripped off and set her on the potty. As she started to go, we both realized she was wearing a 6th pair which I quickly pulled off.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally ready to brush, but <i>no</i> she had to tell me this totally made-up story.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Story Goes - Kevin took her to Toys R Us and bought her a Little Mermaid dress with a real tail that goes in the water. When she got home she put it high up in the closet where the raccoons climbed up and took it in the wall. (Racoons really do live in our wall, this is the only true part of this story) &nbsp;The bad guys came and beat up the raccoons to get the Aerial costume. But the raccoons became good and escaped and gave her the costume back.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>After her story she finally brushed her teeth. &nbsp;<i>20 minutes</i></div>Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-4780102601445770062012-02-04T13:57:00.000-08:002012-02-04T13:57:21.196-08:00King Size BedI finally convinced Kevin to let us invest in a kingsize bed. Here is my reasoning. &nbsp;I am having another baby who will suck on my teets all night long while&nbsp;simultaneously&nbsp;being sandwiched from behind from by Scarlett.<br /><br />(Just a side thought - back in the day I used to think being sandwiched and suckled sounded like a fricken party if you get my drift. You see how my mind thinks these days? Damn hormones are&nbsp;turning&nbsp;me into a dirtly old lady. Anyway, I will save that for another post...)<br /><br />I figure I deserve more space for&nbsp;doing&nbsp;my duty of carrying these&nbsp;creatures,&nbsp;squeezing them out, and then letting them help themselves to my tatas. &nbsp;Kevin also deserves more space&nbsp;as he is on the&nbsp;receiving&nbsp;end of Scarletts wild mid-night kicks. &nbsp;She is brutal, its like she is training to me a mixed marital&nbsp;artist&nbsp;and Kevin is her punching bag. &nbsp;For having her eyes closed, she has great aim, mostly Kevin's temple. She is really good at getting perfectly horizontal between our pillows.<br /><br />So the glorious bed arrives and it is huge! I&nbsp;recommend a king size bed to families everywhere. The funny thing about the bed is that Scarlett seems to think that it is for her to fill up with all of her toys. I put her to bed in <i>her</i> room and by the time Kevin and I make it to our bed she has snuck in and taken over... She is very sneaky, must get that from her dad. The next&nbsp;morning&nbsp;I asked her where we were supposed to sleep and she said I should sleep in her toddler bed and daddy&nbsp;doesn't&nbsp;need to sleep. Gotta love the perks of co-sleeping!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a9ulKJMZ-Nc/Tyt8hdd3ZRI/AAAAAAAAAPw/4HE-9jnU02c/s1600/IMG_2192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a9ulKJMZ-Nc/Tyt8hdd3ZRI/AAAAAAAAAPw/4HE-9jnU02c/s320/IMG_2192.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tar7eJ7rgeU/Tyt8jwmmv6I/AAAAAAAAAP4/1kasaWHTc78/s1600/IMG_2193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tar7eJ7rgeU/Tyt8jwmmv6I/AAAAAAAAAP4/1kasaWHTc78/s320/IMG_2193.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11014725637619857.post-25987743149466906592012-01-23T18:46:00.000-08:002012-01-23T21:18:01.998-08:00Notes from the Womb - 30 weeksWelcome to the third trimester!! Yippee Ki Yay Mother #!@*<br /><br />8 weeks and counting and I am officially ripe and ready to bring life into this world. It sounds&nbsp;beautiful and magical&nbsp;right? The thing is I dont feel ready. I am in denial that this thing has to eventually come out and live with us.<br /><br />With baby #3 I am prepared to say goodbye to my sweet 16 yoni... Ok more like sweet 34, but I can pretend.&nbsp;I'm&nbsp;lucky because my husband says I&nbsp;shouldn't&nbsp;worry about that, thanks hunny. &nbsp;I have read that&nbsp;everything&nbsp;shrinks back to its original size but I also&nbsp;don't&nbsp;believe&nbsp;everything&nbsp;I read. &nbsp;That would be a fricken miracle!<br /><br />Somehow I still drag my ass to the gym. Mostly so Scarlett gets out and I get a mommy break. I do love the daycare at my gym. Toadal Fitness your my best friend and I owe my sanity to you.&nbsp; <br /><br />My body is so full of baby I dont see how it is at all possible for her to grow for 8 + more weeks, I suppose my internal organs aren't really <i>that</i>&nbsp;important. My ribs feel like they are in a vice most of the day, no biggie I <i>almost</i> get used to it.<br /><br />&nbsp;I can no longer see my lovely lady bits, which is probably a good thing. The last view I had resembled blue&nbsp;Twinkies, so I am happy to leave this to my imagination. I pretend I look&nbsp;like&nbsp;Jenna Jameson in that department. Did you know she bleaches her&nbsp;butt-hole&nbsp;to make it that pretty pink color?! I&nbsp;know&nbsp;what I want for my birthday...&nbsp; Luckily I have doubled my blood supply or&nbsp;something&nbsp;like that so&nbsp;orgasms&nbsp;are earth shattering, and I will miss them oh so much once this baby arrives.<br /><br />My stomach and bladder have had to share their living space which means I pee all the time and cant eat grown up portions anymore. It feels like I am&nbsp;burning&nbsp;the lining off my esophagus from all the heart burn, but at least the end is in sight.<br /><br />The problem with the end being is sight is just that, I am totally and&nbsp;completely&nbsp;not ready. My life is pretty&nbsp;chaotic and my day is filled with screaming Scarlett fits and sister fights.&nbsp;&nbsp;I hope that when I pop this puppy out, we will wing it and some how the pieces will fall into place.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2kCZ4MWay6Y/Tx4a7XvhjuI/AAAAAAAAAPk/TCDb5bslfiw/s1600/30+weeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2kCZ4MWay6Y/Tx4a7XvhjuI/AAAAAAAAAPk/TCDb5bslfiw/s320/30+weeks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Summer Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01495339309669727536noreply@blogger.com2